Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)(71)

“I like mustard, okay?”

“A’ight, Dre.”

We both laugh. It feel good to joke ’bout him again.

“Whatever. This is a pregnancy craving. Dre was just weird,” Lisa says. She nibble her McMuffin and watch the suburbs pass by her window. Fancy shopping centers and gated neighborhoods everywhere. “Hard to believe this isn’t that far from the Garden, huh?”

“I guess. It’s a li’l too ‘sophisticated’ for me. Bet everybody out here bougie as hell.”

“You don’t know that,” Lisa says. “Would you be bougie if you lived out here?”

“I don’t live out here, so we’ll never know.”

“What if you did though?” she asks. “What if you had like a trillion dollars and could live out here in a gigantic mansion. Would you be bougie?”

“Nah, ’cause I wouldn’t live out here. I’d live on a private island somewhere so I ain’t gotta be bothered by nobody.”

“A private island, huh? All right.” She turn toward me as much as her seat belt will allow. “What else would you do?”

“You serious?”

“Yeah,” she says. “What would you do if you had a trillion dollars?”

Pay somebody to find out if Red killed my cousin and kill him.

I sit up. I gotta get that fool outta my head. “I’d, um . . . I’d probably rebuild the whole Garden and make it nice. Nobody would have to pay for their new house. Then I’d start some kinda company and hire everybody so they can make big money. If I’m rich, my whole hood gon’ be rich.”

Lisa tilt her head. “Why would you live on a private island, then?”

“I ain’t finna let nobody take me out. Fools get jealous.”

She laugh. “Okay, makes sense.”

“Exactly. I’d live in a mansion with a lot of windows to see the ocean and elevators, forget stairs. I’d drive a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce. All my furniture would be made outta gold.”

“Ill! That sounds tacky as hell.”

“Okay. Then I’d move you in and let you decorate.”

She roll her eyes, but I see that grin playing at her lips. “Whatever.”

“What ’bout you? What would you do with a trillion dollars?”

“End world poverty and world hunger and destroy the system as we know it. Then I’d build a house with the rest, I guess.” Lisa shrugs.

“Dang. Now I feel bad for my island and cars.”

“Um, don’t get it twisted. I’d have a Bentley. Also, lots of shoes and diamonds.” She look at her McMuffin. “I’d also hire a personal chef. Ugh, why didn’t I ask for mustard?”

“You want me to go to another McDonald’s and get you some mustard?”

“No, I’ll deal. You’re always going outta the way for me.”

“You worth it, why wouldn’t I?”

She keep her eyes on her sandwich, but she smiling. She look out the window again. We’re out the suburbs and surrounded by trees. “Still won’t tell me where we’re headed?”

“Nope. I told you it’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises.” Lisa mess around with the buttons in the ceiling until one of them open up the sunroof.

“What the hell? You letting cold air in, girl!”

“It smells so good though!”

“Air don’t got a smell, Lisa.”

“Air outside of the city definitely smells different. Give it a try.”

She lucky I love her. We take in deep breaths and exhale together. Dang, it do smell different.

“See!” Lisa says. “You can smell the pine trees, can’t you?”

“That’s what that is?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She rest her head back and close her eyes. “It’s like being in an entirely different world.”

She quiet for a few minutes. Soon, soft snores come from the passenger seat. I turn the stereo down and close the sunroof. Then I reach over and rub Lisa’s stomach.

“Chill out in there,” I whisper. “Let your mommy get some rest.”

Baby boy—or girl, I guess—listen. Lisa’s stomach stop quivering.

Lisa sleep peacefully the entire drive. I hate to wake her up when we arrive at Markham.

I gotta say, this campus real pretty. It’s exactly like them colleges you see on TV: the big brick buildings, the perfect lawns, and the statues and fountains. Only difference from the colleges on TV is that all the students are Black. Ma said that Markham is a HBCU, historically Black college and university.

I park in the visitors’ lot like the lady on the phone told me. We meeting our tour guide at ten thirty, but I’m early.

I gently shake Lisa’s shoulder. “Wake up, sleeping beauty.”

She stir a little, but her eyes don’t open. “Are we there?”

“Yeah. You gotta wake up to see your surprise.”

She stretch and yawn. Slowly, she open her eyes. “Where are we?”

“Markham State. I got you a private tour of the campus today.”

“What?” Lisa glance around some more. “Oh my God, you didn’t!”

“Yeah, I did. I know this the top school on your list and—”